Thursday, March 21, 2013

All Along the Watch Tower

"All along the watch tower the princes kept the view,

while all the women came and went, barefoot servants too."

Most of the fun of making comes for me when, during the repetitive processes of it all, my imagination gets fired by what I see, by the associations that arise between the parts and the whole. The hollow resin beads that are the focal points of these earrings remind me of towers, and from there the imagination jumped to the system of ancient towers built to protect the trade on the Silk Road, and then I could imagine a wily tribal dancer who might profitably amuse merchants camped at those towers, safe at night, but bored. Imagine, firelight, unclouded stars above, sand below, the scent of spices, incense, tobacco and beasts of burden, stringed instruments and skin drums, a dancer casts her timeless spell. And she is wearing these earrings.

The best version of Bob Dylan's song was done by Jimi Hendrix on Electric Ladyland, 1968, but it's unavailable to share with you now, so here's a provoking bit of cover from an installment of Battlestar Galactica. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1__dINxiXU

For more on towers and the Silk Road, visit the wonderful blog, Mongols, China and the Silk Road, link on the right under "Explore This." There's enough there to feed your hungry imagination for quite some time.